Retired Greyhound II

I wanted to write about one of the dog poems this week since I have yet to, so I chose the poem about the abused dog. People sometimes do not think about animals' thoughts and feelings because animals cannot talk to express them, but that does not mean that they do not exist. I like this poem because it gets inside the dog's mind and shows the reader that how humans treat animals has more of an impact on them than the human may think. The dog in the poem remembers being abused, and still cringes when a human raises their hand. The poem even compares the dog to its human companion who was attacked by a dog. I love the irony in this poem. The dog fears all humans (except the woman) because it was abused by humans. The woman fears dogs (except the dog in the poem) because she was attacked by a dog. Yet they still lean to each other for support and understanding. I think this scenario can be applied to multiple parts of life. Something hurts you, but you still go back to it because you need it. If anyone has any examples of this that they would like to share, I would love to hear them.

We Real Cool

This poem was...different. It was definitely easy to understand. It seemed like something I could have written myself, which gives me a little confidence because if a poem that simple can become famous, then I could also write poetry worthy of fame. I have always considered myself quite bad with poetry. This poem fooled me though. When I was reading it in my head, I was reading it in the form of sentences that would be grammatically correct. I am sure I am not the only one that has fallen for that trick. When we heard the woman that wrote it read it in class one day, she read it completely differently than how I had. After I heard her, I went back and read it again, and realized that how she read it was how it was written. My mind had moved some words around for it to make sense in my head. It gave the poem a new rhythm for me. I think a lot of people could relate to this poem. I hope never to. It is kind of depressing when you really think about what it is saying, and that it sums up many lives.

The Road Not Taken

This is actually one poem that I do not mind reading. I think it is because I have read it so many times by now that it is familiar to me, and therefore I am comfortable with it. I think that is my problem with poetry. It is not always an easy read, making it out of my comfort zone, which is the reason I do not like it. It is kind of hard to like something when you do not understand it. Going back to this particular poem, however, I not only like this poem because I understand it, I also like its message. It is saying not to be like everyone else. You should not be afraid to be different and take chances. Robert Frost is encouraging you to take that road less traveled. My favorite lines in this poem are the last three of the final stanza. They are the ones I have memorized after having read this poem all of those times. Every time I have some decision to make, whether it is big or small, I think back to those lines. And I have to admit, they have influenced quite a bit of my decisions.